A battle between the pastas raged in the Gauteng High Court, especially over the usage of the words Nonnas Pasta.
A dispute over pasta - the one cooked and the other raw - recently raged in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, with two companies both claiming they are entitled to the use of the name Nonnas Pasta.
Soft Coffee Ltd (the applicant), which trades under the name “Nonnas Italian Kitchen,” owns four registered trademarks incorporating the word “Nonnas”. It turned to court in a bid to stop a company trading under the name Nonnas Pasta Ltd (respondent) from using the “Nonnas” name.
According to the applicant, the respondent is infringing on its trademark, a claim denied by the respondent. The applicant conducts business, among others, as “Nonnas Italian Kitchen,” a restaurant with a footprint throughout the country, which the respondent admitted.
The applicant said that the respondent infringed the trademarks by using in the course of trade and within South Africa, a mark with the words “Nonnas Pasta” in relation to food items of plant origin including rice, pasta and noodles.
